Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Alden is finally reading !!!

For the past couple of months, Alden and I have been seating down in our couch for 10 minutes trying to teach him how to read. I knew from my experience with my eldest son, Jhoshua, that reading comes when they are ready. Jhoshua started reading at 6 and just progressed really fast. Now at the age of 9, he can basically read any book he wants to read (with mom's permission of course). But here again on my second child, I am again caught up in the cycle. Let's start reading. Since we started homeschooling, I basically have no problem teaching any subject but reading. It just so require so much patience (that I don't have!). So last year I tried using different technique to help me out in this endevor with my second child. Before I even start teaching him, I bought these DVDs from Leap Frog ( Alphabet Factory and Word Factory). Amazingly, in 3 mos, Alden has learned his Alphabets and their sound. And started blending words together. I wished I knew about these DVDs when I was teaching Jhoshua his alphabets, it could have save me time and gray hairs. Now everyday, each morning, Alden and I would practice reading. For only 10 minutes each day, using Phonics Pathways and Bob Books, he is beginning to read well. I am so proud of him and of course he is so proud of himself being able to read a book. I am so glad that this reading experience with Alden is going so well. I am so hesitant to begin teaching him at first because he is only 4. And I thought that he was too young to grasp the blending part of reading. But of course I was wrong. I am so happy now that he enjoys reading with me every morning. It has become a part of our morning rituals. He even reminds me everyday in case I got caught up with my morning chores. Well, I know that all I have to do is read with him everyday until he gets fluent in reading and then...of I go with my 3rd son, Taylor who is now 3 and begin the reading cycle again.